Dispersed responsibility of a collective problem: Autism, suicidality and the failure of knowledge translation

Stating a problem is easy, at least relatively. People on the autism spectrum are more likely to attempt suicide than non-autistic individuals (e.g., see Kõlves et al., 2021). But naming a problem is just the first step of many. Problems will build to reveal themselves in ways that can be heard, seen, experienced or understood. Giving it dimensionality with supporting evidence is the second step in the process towards shaping future research directions. “Research shows that autistic people are six times more likely to attempt death by suicide—and up to seven times more likely to die by suicide—compared to those who are not autistic”. (Jachyra et al., 2022, n.p.).